My Country - Divided

From the land in the Southernmost tip of the Peninsula, an island remained but the fortunes changed...


We were not just a fishing village; we were a trading port
Our deep sea harbour was, and still is a cutting-edge advantage, sheltered by our huge neighbouring islands from the rough seas and seated neatly outside the volcanic straits
We shine like the lighthouse mothering to all ships calling ashore

The traders, the Sultans, the Temengongs, the Colonialists and locals were happily greasing commerce; sugar, rubber, silk, spice & everything nice
Living by the seas also mean abundance of seafood; the sun, the sea and the trades
Music soothes the souls and life was a breeze

When there is money, there is envy

Temasek, the island
Was traded; bought & sold
Singapore was a buzzling city, an entrepot; a no-man's island
From the Sultan to the British to the Japanese - this island is but a resort; a trading post at best
It was a bastion for Chinese immigrants living in harmony with the Bumiputras & All/Others who decided to stay and make it home; gaining independence was incidental

David Marshall, Lee Kuan Yew & Lim Chin Siong tried to built a Nation out of this island
Each has his own ideals but Fate wouldn't allow congruence of thoughts

Up to the 1990s, when it was a fairly homogenous "Guo Jia国家". With "Guo国“/country, then we have "Jia家"/home!

My country is divided:
'The Haves', "The Have-Nots' & those who thought 'They Haves'
'The Scholars', 'The Business People', 'The Ruling Elites', The Heartlanders', 'The New Arrivals' ... not forgetting "The Displaced'

For every Ten persons, only Three are true-blue Singaporeans today
Aristocracy impinge Meritocracy
Meritocracy is made easier and less robust as fame, money & power grease the flows

Guess, there is nothing wrong but part of social evolution; but at what price? 

The rich cannot live in a sea of poor
The screaming calls for attention to social demands and deficits were met with indifference
The push to dilute Singaporeans as a Nationality is in full gear & unabated
Nobody is against foreigners or immigrants but if we are not prepared nor ready, it can only sink the sunny island ... sinking the Soul called "Singaporean"

But, like all things, someday, somehow, somewhere, someone will save the island

And make it good again ...